Bathtub attachment for care of babies



Oct. 21, 1952 c. H. SCHMIDT, JR

BATHTUB ATTACHMENT F OR CARE OF BABIES Filed March 14, 1950 Patented Oct. 21, 1952 UNITED STATES BATHTUB ATTACHMENT FOR CARE OF BABIES Carl H. Schmidt, Jr., Detroit, Mich. Application March 14, 1950, Serial No. 149,509

' 4 Claims.

This invention relates to bath tub attachments and particularly attachments of a platform nature. 1

Anobject of the invention is to provide a platform, readily attachable to and removable from an ordinary bath tub, and adapted to assume a raised stored position at one end of the tub when not in use, and serving in use to receive a baby during dressing or undressing, changing of garments, or bathing.

Another object is to form said platform with a depressed portion suited to receive sufficient water for bathing a baby.

Another object is to provide the platform with a cover for its depressed portion, so that such portion when empty need not decrease the useful area of the platform.

Another object is to so hinge the platform to a mounting plate as to be slidable a few inches along the hinge axis, when swung up or down, so as to clear any ordinary obstacle on a wall alongside the tub, such as a soap dish or handle.

These and various other objects are attained by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, where- Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a bath tub, showing my attachment thereon in one position of its use.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the same, showing in full lines another use position of the attachment, and including a dash line showing of the attachment in non-use position.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the attachment, showing the platform shifted along its hinge axis relative to its mounting plate to increase clearance from an adjacent wall.

In these views, the reference character I designates an ordinary bath tub having the usual cavity 2 for Water, delivered to such cavity by a faucet 3 spaced above one end of the tub. A side and an end of the tub respectively about walls 4 and 5 of a bathroom, and the wall 6 carries a soap dish 6 and a handle 1, spaced above and in an overhanging relation to the tub.

My attachment comprises a plate 8 and a platform 9 considerably larger than said plate and hinged thereto, these parts being formed preferably of sheet aluminum or some light waterresistant sheet plastic. Said parts seat on the top face of the tub, substantially conforming to its width and being thus adapted to bridge the cavity 2. The platform 9 has a depressed central portion I0 forming a cavity holding at least a few gallons of water and hence serving, when desired, as a baby bath. A drain opening 2 illa is formed at'some suitable point in the bottom of the cavity I 0 and may be normally closed by an ordinary rubber stopper (not shown). In absence of water, said cavity alternatively serves to receive ababy, while being dressed or undressed, or during a change of its garments. The plate 8 serves conveniently to. receive a baby's garments, blankets, orsuch accessories as talcum powder or wash cloths. Said'plate and platform are slidable lengthwise ofthe tub to any preferred location of use, and for convenient filling of the baby bath lil will be disposed as shown in full lines in Fig. 2 at the faucet end of the tub. When the attachment is not needed, it is preferably slid against the wall 5, as shown in dash lines in Fig. 2, the platform 9 being swung up to an inclined position of engagement with said wall. When the attachment is thus out of use, it offers no impediment to ordinary use of the tub I. It is preferred to provide an overflow slot in an end wall of the cavity l 0.

In swinging the platform 9 to or from its raised inclined position, presence of either or both of the soap dish 6 and handle 1 tends to form an obstruction, and it is preferred to avoid such obstruction by so hinging the platform to the plate 8 as to afford a sliding of the platform along the hinge axis adequate to clear the obstruction. Thus there is employed an elongated hinge pin l l fixed on the plate 8 by a pair of hinge leaves l2, engaging end portions of the pin. Hinge leaves l3 mount the platform 9 on said pin and have adequate play between the leaves l2 to afford the required lateral movement of the platform. One or more blocks M of rubber or the like are fastened to the bottom face of the platform and mounting plate to engage an interior lateral face of the tub when the platform is in use, preventing the described shifting along the hinge axis and holding the plate in place.

It is preferred to provide a cover plate [5 for the cavity ill, hinged on the pin H so as to either cover said cavity, as in Fig. 1, or rest on the plate 8 as in the full line showing of Fig. 2. A hinge leaf I 6 for mounting the cover plate as aforesaid may be an integral extension from the plate 15.

Heretofore, very few, if any, bathrooms have had any conveniences suited to dressing or undressing or changing a baby and the practice has been to carry a baby back and forth many times between bedroom and bathroom. The attachment now disclosed avoids that necessity and further provides for bathing an infant much more conveniently than by use of the ordinary bath tub. The attachment may be quite inexpensively manufactured and is sufliciently light to be quite easily handled. Its ready adjustability to a position allowing ordinary use of the tube is of course highly desirable. During use of the tub I for shower purposes, the platform may serve to shield a bath robe or other garments, conveniently disposed on the plate 8, from splashed water.

What ,I claim is:

1. An attachment for an elongated bath tub laterally adjoining a wall, said attachment comprising a platform and a substantially horizontal mounting plate for such platform, both proportioned to seat on the sides of a bath tub in a bridging relation to such tub, and a hinge connection between said plate and platform having its axis transverse to the tube and affording the platform a raised position of non-use, said connection including a means for affording a limited sliding travel of the platform along said axis relative to the plate, and thus adapting the platform in its swinging travel to clear a device projecting from said wall.

- 2. In an attachment for an elongated bath tub as set forth in'claiin' 1, said platform comprising a baby bath, a cover for the baby bath hinged to the platform to swing about an axis parallel and adjacent to the axis of said hinge connection.

3. An attachment for a bath tub comprising a substantially horizontal platform and a mounting plate for such platform, both proportioned to seat on the sides of a bath tub in a bridging relation to such tub, said platform comprising a baby bath, a hinge connection between said 4 plate and platform, adapting the platform to swing to a raised, wall-engaging position of non-use, and a cover for the baby bath hinged coaxially with said hinge connection, to either cover or expose the baby bath.

4. An attachment for an elongated bath tub laterally adjoining a wall, said attachment comprising a substantially horizontal platform and a mounting plate for such platform, both proportioned to seat on the sides of a bath tub in a bridging relation to such tub, said platform carrying a baby bath, a hinge connection between said plate and platform adapting the platform to swing about an axis transverse to the tub to a raised position of non-use, and affording the platform a limited sliding along said axis to clar a device projecting from said wall, a cover for the baby bath, and means hinging such cover to the plate at said axis, adapting the cover to slide along such axis in unison with the platform.

" CARL H. SCHMIDT. JR;

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,103,516 Joy et al. July 14, 1914 1,288,347 Wilson Dec. .17, 1918 1,358,680 Lilly Nov. 9, 1920 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 11,324 Great Britain Au 19, 1887 

